The present invention relates to a cleaning system for cleaning fluid-conducting tubing. The invention is particularly useful in the cleaning system described in our U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,121, and is therefore described below with respect to such a system, but it will be appreciated that the invention could advantageously be used in other cleaning systems as well.
The cleaning system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,121 is particularly useful for cleaning the tubing of heat exchangers used in condensers and the like by means of circulating with the fluid a plurality of rubber balls which are slightly larger in diameter than the tubing so that they are compressed as they travel the length of the tubing, thereby keeping the tubing walls clean and free from deposits. Such cleaning systems include a plurality of balls circulated with the fluid through the tubing from the upstream side to the downstream side of the tubing, recirculating means having an inlet at a negative fluid pressure at the downstream side of the tubing, and an outlet at a positive pressure at the upstream side of the tubing for recirculating the balls through the tubing, and separator means between the downstream side of the tubing and the recirculating means for separating the balls from the fluid. The separated balls are directed to the upstream side of the tubing, whereas the fluid, after the balls have been separated therefrom, is directed to an outlet fluid line.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,121 was directed mainly to a novel recirculating means for use in such a cleaning system. The invention of the present application is directed primarily to a novel separator means for separating the balls from the fluid before the balls are recirculated through the tubing.